Masahiro Tanaka became just the fourth Japanese pitcher to record 200 combined wins between Nippon Professional Baseball and Major League Baseball on Tuesday night at Tokyo Dome, joining Yu Darvish, Hideo Nomo, and Hiroki Kuroda.
The 36-year-old also became the fastest to reach the milestone, doing so in 432 career appearances, as his Yomiuri Giants defeated the Chunichi Dragons, 4-2.
Tanaka debuted with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in 2007 at age 18, earning Pacific League Rookie of the Year honors with 11 wins, a 3.82 ERA, and 196 strikeouts. Over the next six seasons, the right-hander cemented his legacy as a generational talent, culminating in a legendary 2013 campaign in which he went 24-0 with a 1.27 ERA and 183 punchouts while leading Rakuten to its first Japan Series championship in franchise history. By the time he left for the United States, Tanaka had collected 99 wins, two Eiji Sawamura Awards, and the 2013 PL MVP title, among many other achievements.
In January 2014, he signed a seven-year, $155 million deal with the New York Yankees, the largest contract in the history of the posting system until it was surpassed by Yoshinobu Yamamoto in 2023. Tanaka’s first three seasons in the Bronx were a resounding success as he posted a 39-16 record with a 3.12 ERA over 75 starts, earning a top-five Rookie of the Year finish in 2014 and placing seventh in the Cy Young Award voting in 2016.
The Hyogo, Japan-native’s later years in MLB were less dominant, as he posted a 4.27 ERA over 99 appearances from 2017 to 2020. Still, he compiled a 39-30 record and earned a reputation as a big-game pitcher with several memorable postseason performances. After his Yankees contract concluded, Tanaka elected to return to Japan and signed a two-year, ¥900 million ($8.6 million) contract plus incentives, making him the highest-paid player in NPB history at the time.
Tanaka’s return to Tohoku was slightly underwhelming as he posted losing records in each season and saw both his ERA and underlying numbers steadily decline from 2021 to 2023. Despite taking a significant pay cut to remain with the Eagles, he battled injuries and made only one top team appearance in 2024 before moving on from his longtime club to sign with the Yomiuri Giants, still three wins shy of 200, reuniting with former Little League teammate Hayato Sakamoto.
His first Giants victory came quickly, as he delivered five innings of one-run ball against the Chunichi Dragons in his season debut to notch career win No. 198. However, a string of rough outings soon led to a demotion to the farm team, where he spent most of the season working his way back. At last, on August 21, he secured win No. 199 with another five-inning effort in a 7-1 victory over the Yakult Swallows.
Tanaka lost three straight decisions in his pursuit of the elusive 200th win, but on Sept. 30, he was afforded one more start as the Giants had already secured a postseason berth. He made the most of it, pairing with veteran catcher Seiji Kobayashi to produce his longest outing of the season: six innings with four hits, two runs, and four strikeouts. He departed with a 3-2 lead, and the Giants held on for a 4-2 victory as Kota Nakagawa, Eito Tanaka, Taisei, and Raidel Martinez combined to finish the job.
“It took a long time, but I’m just happy to finally get it done,” Tanaka said after the game. “I stepped on the mound today with the intent to give it everything I had […] but this isn’t the end. I want to contribute in the playoffs, too,” he exclaimed.
Tanaka was far from his peak form this season, finishing the regular year with a 5.00 ERA (59 ERA+) across 45 innings while his fastball averaged just 90 mph. Yet his determination and tenacity – traits that have defined his entire career – carried him to the exclusive 200-win club, built on 122 victories with Rakuten, 78 with the Yankees, and now three with Yomiuri.
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